Brother to teacher to pastor: Father Franken’s long and varied vocation

Note: Six priests of the Archdiocese of Baltimore will be retiring July 1. The Review profiles the six as their parishes bid them farewell. Click here to read more retirement profiles. 

Father William “Willie” Franken had already been a religious brother with the Congregation of St. Francis Xavier, also known as the Xaverian Brothers, for much of his life when he decided to become a diocesan priest for the Baltimore Archdiocese.

“That was God,” he said of the prompt behind his action. “I thought that was what the Lord was calling me to do.”

He had been working for several years as coordinator of adolescent catechesis at the Catholic Center in Baltimore; before that, he taught at the Xaverian Brothers-sponsored Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, formerly in Wheaton and now in Olney.

Father Franken, 75, who will retire as pastor of St. Joan of Arc in Aberdeen effective July 1, enjoyed his work with young people, but the call to the diocesan priesthood was strong.

He added that he was attracted to administering the sacraments.

Deacon Ray Van Pelt, who has served St. Joan of Arc as deacon for nearly 10 years, observed that Father Franken’s parishioners appreciated the care with which he administered them.

“He’s a very good confessor,” Deacon Van Pelt said. “People told me that they would miss that. He was understanding and met them where they were, but he would also give good spiritual direction and guidance.”

Deacon Van Pelt, 68, a retired colonel of the U.S. Army, said he will miss Father Franken for his approachability, but also for the kinship they shared in a common origin.

“I grew up on Staten Island,” said Deacon Van Pelt, “and he grew up in Brooklyn. We developed a bit of camaraderie based on our being two New Yorkers here in Maryland.”

Father Franken said he had a strong Catholic upbringing and attended a Catholic grade school and high school. A fifth-grade teacher, a religious brother in the Xaverian Brothers known as Brother Romanus, became a strong role model to the young Willie Franken and a friend of the family.

Later, Brother Romanus asked Father Franken to consider religious life, which he did, and then joined the Xaverian Brothers after high school.

Father Franken became Brother Jeremiah and taught French, Spanish and religion at Our Lady of Good Counsel. He then took on a counselor role to a sophomore class and accompanied that class in that role through their graduation.

“One of the ministries I was always very interested in was education,” Father Franken said. “Almost every parish I was assigned to had a school.”

Prior to his ordination he served as a seminary intern at Church of the Nativity in Timonium, under Monsignor Charles Meisel, who would become a lifelong friend and golf buddy.

“I learned especially about leadership as a pastor from him,” Father Franken said. “He was a man who had a lot of wisdom. When he was retired, I could visit him, talk things over and get some good advice.”

Monsignor Meisel died in 2021.

Father Franken’s first two assignments as a priest of the Baltimore Archdiocese were associate pastorships at St. Joseph in Fullerton and St. Isaac Jogues in Carney. He then served four pastorships, at Our Lady of Victory in Arbutus, St. John the Evangelist in Hydes, Our Lady of Hope in Dundalk, and, finally, St. Joan of Arc.

In addition to Monsignor Meisel, Father Franken appreciates the influence of Bishop William C. Newman, auxiliary bishop of Baltimore, who died in 2017. Bishop Newman was in residence at St. John the Evangelist while Father Franken was pastor there.

“He inspired me in my priesthood, and I saw him as someone dedicated to serving people,” Father Franken recalled.

Deacon Van Pelt noted that Father Franken’s charism of service benefits from his kindness, his “gentle manner,” and his humility.

“People never feel like he’s putting on airs,” Deacon Van Pelt said. “His door is always open any time people need to talk to him or want to talk to him.”

He has also been known to take on arduous projects, Deacon Van Pelt added, including the construction of a new chapel and a parish life center at St. Joan of Arc that doubles as a gymnasium and office space for the parish school. The project kicked off in 2022, as Father Franken was nearing retirement.

“He could have said, ‘Man, I don’t want to do this in my last year and a half as a priest,’ but, no, he took it on,” Deacon Van Pelt said.

Father Franken will reside at Mercy Ridge. He said he will continue to assist at parishes where needed, golf and hopefully do some traveling. 

Also see

Father Gills retires after a ministry that took him around the world and around the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Father Foley, pastor to retired priests, set to retire himself

‘Unflappable’ pastor who shepherded major parish projects ready to retire

Approaching retirement, Monsignor Barker reflects on shepherding one of the largest parishes in the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Founding pastor of Frederick parish to retire

Father Edward Hendricks, trailblazer in pastoral planning, will remain in Western Maryland for retirement

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